Ashdown High
by ErinMilne
Summary: Winston "Winnie" DePuh and his pals enjoy school life very much. From track meets to tests, life at Ashdown High is never dull! (High school AU) (Cover image belongs to Rosel-D, kudos to Orangebird124 for helping me find a cover!)
1. First Day of School

_September_

A CD of forest sounds gently lulled Winston "Winnie" DePuh out of dreamland. _It _can't_ be 6:30 already_, he thought as he woozily opened his eyes and stared at the display of his clock-radio. "Yep, it is," he then murmured aloud as he hit the "stop" button and rolled, still sleepy, out of bed and wandered toward the clothes he'd set out the night before. It was his favorite outfit - a simple red T-shirt and a pair of yellow pants. Paired with Winnie's golden complexion and blonde hair, it looked great. And today, of all days, Winnie wanted to look his best. It was the first day of Winnie's sophomore year, and he needed to set a good example for the freshmen.

Winnie trotted down the stairs and into the kitchen, where his mother had set out a plate of scrambled eggs for him. He discreetly slid into his chair, grabbed the honey bottle, and began to drizzle the contents over his meal. Winnie loved honey in every way, shape and form, and it had to be included in every meal he ate. Both his mother and father found this habit strange, but put up with it anyway. As Winnie began to hurriedly devour the eggs, his mother asked over her shoulder, "Did you sleep well, honey? Don't want to fall asleep in class today..."

"Yeah, I slept well. What time does the bus get here?" Winnie asked his mother. "In about half an hour," she replied. "Plenty of time to get ready, so eat slowly, Winston, please!"

Winnie muttered, "_Please_ don't call me Winston, Mother," and finished his breakfast more slowly. After putting on a pair of loafers, he went over to the bathroom, where he did a few exercises in front of the full-length mirror - mainly touching his toes - and tugged a comb through his bedhead. After packing his lunch, a PBH - peanut butter and honey sandwich - with a few carrot sticks and some yogurt and making sure his backpack contained all his notebooks and an after-school snack, Winnie said a quick goodbye to his parents and headed out the door to the bus stop. On the way, he composed a piece of poetry, as he so often did, specifically for the occasion. It went something like this:

Although the summer has been fun,  
It's time for school once more.  
With teachers, classmates, books, and tests,  
It sometimes feels a chore.

But there are also fun times, too,  
Like dances, games, and fairs.  
The other schools cannot compete,  
But we don't put on airs.

It wasn't exactly Longfellow, but Winnie liked it. He arrived at the bus stop just as the bus was pulling up. Joining the small crowd, Winnie boarded the bus, found a window seat, and mentally recited his poem the whole way to school.

* * *

Ashdown High School was your typical high school, hosting ninth through twelfth grade. Winnie swept through the double front doors of the school, searching for the principal's office. During the course of his freshman year, he had memorized the locations of all the important places on campus, including the place he was looking for. As he headed down the crowded main hallway to Principal Milne's office, Winnie was suddenly knocked down flat and found himself looking into a familiar face.

"Winnie! How ya doin', ol' pal?" said Winnie's attacker excitedly. Winnie grinned and responded, "Nice to see you, too, Tyler." Tyler McBounce was the same age as Winnie, and the two were best friends. Most bystanders couldn't understand how the overly energetic and uber-athletic Tyler and the quiet, artsy Winnie had ever become friends, but the two both had a fondness for the sort of "everyday adventures" that so often occurred at Ashdown High. Tyler was on every sports team Ashdown High had - he was a Tiger through and through, although he often mispronounced the teams' names as "the Tiggers".

Dressed in an orange-and-black track suit, Tyler helped his friend up and asked him, "You goin' to see ol' Prince Apple to get your schedule?" Winnie responded, "Why, yes, I am! Would you like to come with me?"

Tyler didn't answer verbally, but dragged Winnie towards the principal's office, his fiery red hair looking like a meteor among the other clumps of students. Winnie was out of breath by the time they found the office, but Tyler was as jumpy as ever. The two sophomores joined the line extending outside the office and waited for their turn.

It took the longest time, but eventually, Winnie and Tyler found themselves standing in front of Principal Milne's desk. The principal greeted them warmly - "Winston! Tyler! Did you two enjoy your summer?" Winnie spoke for both himself and his friend when he responded, "Oh, we did. Anyway, we need to pick up our schedules."

"Oh, yes," said Principal Milne, pawing through a file cabinet. "Let me see... Ah, here they are. Winston DePuh and Tyler McBounce. Looks like you share a few classes this year - and you both got the electives you signed up for." Handing Winnie and Tyler each a piece of paper, the principal sent them off with, "Have a good year!" and a wave.

Looking over their schedules, Winnie and Tyler discovered that they were in the same math and science classes. Winnie was also enrolled in a fine arts class, while Tyler had chosen P. E. as his elective. Tyler then ran off to his locker, calling back to Winnie, "TTFN! Ta ta for now!" Winnie waved at his friend, chuckled, and headed off to find his own locker.

Once Winnie found his locker, he opened his backpack and began to place his notebooks and folders inside. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Edgar Thistleton, a fellow sophomore, with a small student, likely a freshman. Winnie knew Edgar well, though the two weren't exactly friends. Edgar was the pessimistic type, always focusing on the worst in other every person and situation he encountered. Winnie, who was more of an optimist, now stepped toward the two students to see what was going on.

"You don't seem to be in the right wing of the school, little freshman," Edgar, wearing baggy grey clothing, was saying to the pink-clad freshman, who was clearly shaking in his shoes. Winnie knew where this would go, so he interrupted, "Well, Edgar, why don't you show him over to the freshman lockers? I'm sure our little friend here would be glad for the help." Edgar's eyes opened wide in surprise, but the black-haired student didn't say anything. Instead, he stepped away, mumbling something to himself.

Winnie turned to the freshman and said, "Edgar's like that all the time; don't worry about it. _Would _you like help finding the freshman lockers?" The freshman replied, "Y-y-yes, I-I-I would," but didn't say anything else. As the two walked, they shared some light words. Winnie learned that his new friend's name was Percy Squealer, that he was very bookish and had few friends, and that he lived at 5555 Beech Lane, just a block or two away from Winnie's house at 4132 Sanders Way. The two arranged to meet in the library during lunch to chat some more and do what homework they had received by then. Once Percy had found his locker, Winnie waved goodbye to him and headed back to his own locker.

On the way back to the sophomore lockers, Winnie noticed a girl surrounded by other students. Winnie hadn't seen her before, but she looked to be about his age. The girl wore a silvery fur coat over a white blouse and a gray velvet skirt, and had long, luxurious brown hair and piercing golden eyes. "My name is Lottie von Rivers," she said to the crowd. "My family is very rich, and we know all of the best people. I have high expectations for my experience here at your little public high school." _I certainly hope _she's_ not in any of my classes this year, _thought Winnie. _She's too stuck-up for my liking._

Winnie's first period was science, taught by Mrs. Austers. She was an amazing teacher, helping any student who needed it. Both Winnie and Tyler liked her immensely. Next was literature with Dr. Strigiform - extremely boring; Winnie found himself only paying attention to about half of what he was saying (mostly about himself and his famous family). Third period was math, and the teacher was the strict Mr. Bunton. Both Winnie and Tyler found themselves disliking this teacher, as did Lottie, who happened to be in this class as well, to Winnie's distaste.

After eating his lunch, Winnie met with Percy, as the two had planned. The two chatted about their days thus far. Percy had met a very nice girl in a few of his classes, named Kessie. However, he was too shy to get to know her. Winnie, in turn, told him about Lottie.

After lunch was a language class - in Winnie's case, German. Then came his favorite class, fine arts. Winnie immediately liked the teacher, a Ms. Hedgeting, and her method of asking what the students' "specialties" were. After fine arts was history and Mr. Robin. Lottie was in this class, too, and attempted to butter up the teacher, but Mr. Robin didn't care. He didn't even mind Edgar being excessively negative. Winnie knew that this was a good teacher.

After the final bell, each student was given a handout about extracurriculars and community service. As Winnie read the handout, he decided on Poetry Club for an extracurricular. _Well, _he thought as he stepped on his bus, _this is going to be an interesting year, I can tell!_


	2. Track Day

_October_

It was the day every student at Ashdown High found exciting. The day of the first track meet of the season! This was all the students could talk about in the hallways; the teachers had a hard time keeping students on task; general excitement filled the school. However, when Winnie heard the announcement over the intercom, excitement was replaced with dread.

"Will Percival Squealer, Winston DePuh, and Tyler McBounce report to Principal Milne's office immediately? Thank you," crackled the loudspeaker. Whenever a student was asked to come to the principal's office "immediately", it usually meant something bad. Winnie and Tyler were glad to leave Mr. Bunton's class early (Mr. McBounce, control yourself! And Mr. DePuh, please pay attention!), but both had pounding hearts as they walked down the hall to the principal's office. When Percy joined the pair, Winnie noticed that even he was more apprehensive than usual.

Inside Principal Milne's office, Percy blurted out immediately, "Are you going to expel us, Mr. Principal?" Principal Milne laughed out loud; the threesome was confused. "Of course not!" the principal said. "I just want you to walk over to Ashdown Elementary and hand out stickers to spread awareness of the track meet tonight. Do you think you can do that?"

Tyler shouted, "You betcha!", Percy nodded shyly, and Winnie shrugged and said, "You can count on us, Mr. Milne."_  
_

After getting the stickers from the secretary and surprising the janitor, the bucktoothed Mr. Diggins (S(whistle)houldn't you kids(whistle) be in class(whistle)?), the threesome walked the short distance from Ashdown High to the nearby elementary school. As Tyler and Percy stared in awe at the bright, colorful murals adorning the front office, Winnie explained their mission to the desk person, who let them on their way. Each boy took a sticker sheet and headed down one of the three hallways protruding from the office area, where still more artwork awaited them.

Winnie's first stop was a second-grade classroom. He knocked on the door, which opened with ease. Twenty-two pairs of tiny eyes immediately turned on him; the teacher remarked, "Well, it seems we have a visitor. Please make this quick, young man."

Winnie recited his hastily prepared speech - "Hello, I'm from Ashdown High, and I'd like to remind all of you to come to the track meet tonight. Go Tigers!" The kids continued to stare at him blankly, so Winnie started handing out stickers. This generated a bit of excitement, but the teacher still seemed a bit annoyed. Winnie did his best to ignore the expression on her face as he worked.

One student Winnie gave a sticker to looked a bit familiar. He was wearing shorts and a blue tee, and the name tag on his desk read, "Ryan". Winnie recalled Mrs. Austers talking about her son during some class downtime, but decided not to dwell on it and continue working. He soon had given each student a sticker and left the room, much to the teacher's pleasure.

Outside the doors to the cafetorium, Winnie, Percy, and Tyler reunited. Each boy was down to the last third of his sticker sheet. Percy had figured out that a lot of the older students were eating lunch, so the three entered the large room and handed out the rest of their stickers.

On the way back to Ashdown High, Winnie, Percy, and Tyler shared their experiences giving stickers in the classrooms. Tyler revealed that he had "sorta kinda accidentally on purpose" knocked over a bookshelf in a third-grade room, Percy related getting bothered by some fourth-graders ("Th-th-they were taller than m-m-me!"), and Winnie told about Ryan and the nasty second-grade teacher. By the time they returned to school, lunch was almost over, but the buzz about the meet had not died down. It wasn't going to, either - not until the big event itself.

* * *

That night, the bleachers were packed with students from all over the Disney Unified School District. Athletes were stretching before the events; fans were chatting and cheering alike. The usual rivalries were already playing out - students from Toontown and Ashdown were arguing over whose team would score in the most events, Seventh Hillsies and Pridesters were competing to see who could cheer the loudest, and the Chernabog people were just badmouthing everyone. As he and Percy attempted to find a place to sit in the din, Winnie started thinking about a poem:

Some people are fans, some people are not,  
But all are here for fun.  
Even if competition gets really hot,  
All are here for fun.

Winnie recited his work to Percy, who liked the poem as well. As they continued, the two recited it together, Winnie taking the changing lines and Percy whispering the "All are here for fun"s. Eventually, the two found a pair of empty seats with a good view of the track and sat down. As they were making themselves comfortable, Winnie heard a cheery voice say, "Hiya!" he turned to one side and saw a boy and a girl sitting to the immediate left of him and Percy. Both kids had black hair and *ahem* rather large ears. The boy wore a white shirt with yellow buttons and red pants, while the girl wore a deep turquoise blouse and a red skirt with white polka dots, with a deep pink bow on a headband in her hair.

"Hello," said Winnie. "Who are you?"

The boy replied, "I'm Mitchell Rodentin, but I go by Mickey. That's my twin sister Minnie. We're sophomores at Toontown. And you are...?"

"Winston DePuh, but I prefer the name Winnie. This is my friend, Percy Squealer. He's a freshman and I'm a sophomore, but we both attend Ashdown. So, are you just here to watch the races?" asked Winnie.

"Well, yeah," Mickey said, "But we're also looking of a pal of mine. Horace Horsecollar. He's a senior. Most athletic person I know. He's on all the Beaver teams and he's president of our Key Club."

Winnie replied, "Sounds like my friend Tyler McBounce. He's only a sophomore, but he's a Tiger through and through."

The two chatted until a voice from the announcer's booth cut through the crowd, proclaiming, "Ladies and gents, welcome to the first Disney Unified track meet of the school year! Our first event - the hundred-meter-hurdle. Let's see who's competing for each school, shall we? First up, representing the Toontown Beavers, Dexter Goof!" A tall, skinny kid in a red-and-blue uniform ambled to the starting position.

Mickey buried his face into his hands and murmured, "We're gonna fail this one." Winnie asked, "How do you know? Dexter hasn't even jumped yet." Mickey looked awkward. "Well, ya see, Dexter is one of my best pals, but he's not very good at sports. To be honest, he's not very good at anything. I just hope he makes it this time."

The announcer continued, "Representing the Ashdown Tigers, Tyler McBounce!" Tyler, wearing forest green and gold, raced into position behind Dexter. Winnie joined his schoolmates in cheering for their champion, and even Percy managed a "yay".

"Representing the Palace Wolves, Pocahontas Powhatan!" A copper-skinned girl with black hair, maybe a junior, in pink and white stepped confidently into line. "Representing the Chernabog Demons, Gaston LeGrand!" A muscled, black-haired senior boy swaggered into place, showing off his black and red uniform. Everyone except the Chernabog students let out a loud _boo!_

"Representing the Seventh Hill Chargers, Sven Bjorgman!" A kid with messy brown hair, probably a sophomore, looking a little uncomfortable in the brown and white uniform, slowly stepped into place. Winnie could have sworn he heard a few cheers among the Palace people, but decided to watch the meet first and investigate later. "And last but not least, representing the Pride Lions, Bambi Deerson!" A small, brown-haired, doe-eyed freshman in gold and red tiptoed into position.

Dexter was first to jump. He took a running start, but ended up stuck in the first hurdle. As the Toontown coach stepped up to help Dexter, his score was given: zero. Mickey sighed and said, "That's Dexter for you."

Tyler jumped next. He was able to clear three hurdles at a time, easily making it to the finish bar. His score was a 9.5. Winnie smiled. "That's Tyler for you."

Pocahontas's score was a 9, Gaston received a 7.5, Sven scored 8.5, and Bambi got an 8. Tyler was the clear winner of the event. As his name was announced, the crowd went wild. Mickey and Minnie clapped right alongside Winnie and Percy. By the time the meet was over, Winnie knew that he had gained a new friend in Mickey - the kind of friend that's a true kindred spirit.


	3. Campaign Season

_October/November_

It was that time of year again. Election Day was coming up, and Ashdown High used the same day to elect student council members. Classes hadn't started yet, and Winnie was holding a heated discussion with Percy and Tyler.

"Do you two think I should run this year?" asked Winnie.

"Sure!" said Tyler. "The whole school knows and likes you. I just know you'd come out numero uno!"

Winnie responded, "True, I do have a lot of friends. But I've never done anything like this before. I don't even know which office to aim for."

Tyler shouted, "Easy-peasy-lemon-squeasy! You should be the president! I'd run with you as the vicer."

"I c-c-could be your campaign m-m-manager," Percy added shyly. "I've already thought of a slogan - 'Winnie DePuh and Tyler, Too'. It's got historical significance and a nice ring to it."

"Well..." Winnie paused. "I guess I'll try. With friends like you working with me, what could go wrong?"

* * *

The campaign was in full swing. Winnie's opponent for student-council president actually turned out to be Edgar, with a freshman called Jeremy Nuttings as a running mate. Winnie knew he had his work cut out for him, since Edgar was a better student than he was by far. But Edgar was also a bully whom no one enjoyed being around, whereas Winnie was friendly with everyone and quite popular.

The hallways were plastered with posters announcing, "Vote Thistleton If You Really Care" and "Winnie DePuh and Tyler, Too!" Hallway debates over which candidate was more likely to win ranged from quiet discussions to full-fledged arguments. The candidates themselves took very different approaches to campaigning. Edgar told anyone who asked that he would "change things" at school, but didn't say how. Winnie and his team, on the other hand, ran a positive and active race. Winnie made occasional speeches on demand for anyone who asked; they often rhymed. He and his friends set up clear goals - building the school's sense of community, making sure everyone had a chance for an A in every class, and making sure the arts had a predominant role in the curriculum. As the day of the election drew nearer, all the student body could talk about was "Winnie or Edgar?"

Finally, _finally_, the day arrived. Before first period, most students were crammed in the cafeteria, casting their votes or waiting to do so. Winnie was not one of them. Instead, he waited outside Mrs. Austers's science classroom for the bell. Student politics had taken its toll on the sophomore. He was worn out, and his grades were starting to show it. At least his friendships had not been affected by the pressures of the campaign.

Edgar walked by, hood over his eyes, studying for his own first period. Winnie waved and said, "That was a great campaign. I think you're going to win."

"Probably not," grumbled Edgar. "Student government isn't that fun anyway. I'm going to lose this election for sure." With that, Edgar walked away. Winnie shrugged. Edgar would always be negative, complements aside. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, Winnie didn't know. He expected he never would.

* * *

The votes were in. Edgar had won the election by a reasonably-sized margin. Winnie was, honestly, glad. Tyler wasn't.

"What happened? We coulda won that!" Tyler asked Winnie as they walked down the hall from science.

Winnie's response was, "Tyler, that was fate. Edgar and I had equal chances of getting the office. Besides, I don't think I'm cut out for student politics."

Tyler shrugged. "At least you tried it out. Hey, wanna hit that new coffee shop downtown after school?"

"Sure!" Winnie smiled. Honey scones were better than campaigning any day.

**A. N. Feel free to offer suggestions for future chapters. I have some in mind, but I am open to any ideas you guys might have.**


	4. Seussical

_November_

Winnie stared at the poster that had appeared overnight on the cafeteria wall:

**Ashdown High Players Present:  
_Seussical the_****_ Musical!_**  
Auditions take place on Friday, after school in the theater.  
Talk to Mrs. Hedgeting for more details.

"Seussical?!" Tyler cried, beginning to bounce up and down. "Do you have any idea how awesomely amazingly stoomedous that play is?!"

Winnie did know. He'd always enjoyed Dr. Seuss as a kid - the rhyming, the funny pictures, everything had captured his heart. Once he'd figured out there was a play version, he got the CD as soon as he could. Seussical was still one of his favorite shows.

Winnie turned to Tyler and said, "Mrs. Hedgeting is my fine arts teacher. I'll talk to her before I make any decisions, but I would really like to do this." Tyler wasn't really listening, though, he was still bouncing off the walls. Winnie sighed and shook his head, a small smile appearing on his face. _This is going to be fun,_ he thought.

* * *

"Well, looks like that wraps up our lesson for today," announced Mrs. Hedgeting. "Free study period!" Some of Winnie's fine arts classmates got out homework from other classes, while some chose to chat amongst themselves. Winnie had a certain purpose in mind today, though. He stepped up to the desk at the front where Mrs. Hedgeting kept her things.

"Mrs. Hedgeting?" asked Winnie. "I wanted to ask about the school play."

The fine arts teacher smiled. "Seussical? Are you interested in trying out?"

"Of course," said Winnie, smiling. "So what would I have to do to get the part of, say, Horton?"

"Horton? That's a lead role, but I think you'd be great in it. Let's see... every audition has to show that the actor or actress can 'become' the character in both singing and speaking. You'd have to perform the 'I say, how confusing' monologue and, for singing, the first part of 'Alone in the Universe'. Think you can handle that?"

"Sure," smiled Winnie. "By the way, a friend of mine wants to do the Cat in the Hat..."

"That character's opening lines and the first verse of 'Oh, the Thinks You Can Think'," was Mrs. Hedgeting's answer.

Winnie told her, "Thank you. I guess I'll see you there on Friday," returning to his desk.

* * *

"Winnie DePuh, you're up!" called Mrs. Hedgeting. Winnie took a deep breath and stepped onto the stage. He'd been practicing the part in all of his spare time, and now he could put it to the test. "Do the monologue first," suggested his teacher.

Winnie took a deep breath and began, "I say, how confusing! I've never heard tell of a small speck of dust that was able to yell. So, you know what I think? I think that there must be someone on top of that small speck of dust!"

He paused for a second (for effect, of course) and continued, "Some poor little person who's shaking with fear that he'll blow in the pool! He has no way to steer!" He sighed. "He's alone in the universe..."

"Nice job, Winnie!" called Mrs. Hedgeting, who then called to the sound booth, "Cue the music for 'Alone in the Universe - start at the first key change!"

As the music drifted onto the stage, Winnie took it in for a moment, then began to sing:

_There are secrets on a leaf, in the water, in the air:  
Hidden planets, tiny worlds, all invisible.  
Not a person seems to know, not a person seems to care.  
There is no one who believes a thing I say!  
Well, I'm fairly certain, at one time or other,  
Great thinkers all feel this way..._

He paused for a moment, sighed almost mournfully, and continued:

_I'm alone in the universe.  
So alone in the universe.  
I've found magic, but they don't see it.  
They all call me a lunatic.  
Okay, call me a lunatic.  
If I stand on my own, so be it..._

_'Cause I have wings!  
Yes, I can fly  
Around the moon  
And far beyond the sky.  
And one day soon,  
__I know there you'll be -  
One small voice in the universe,  
One true friend in the universe  
Who believes in me..._

"Excellent!" called Mrs. Hedgeting as the music died away. "I'll have the cast list posted by Monday, at least. Think you can wait that long?"

"I consider myself very patient," Winnie responded. "I can wait till then. Tell Tyler I said good luck." Gathering his books for German, he left the theatre in a very happy mood.

* * *

_Seussical - Cast List_

The Cat in the Hat - Tyler McBounce  
Horton the Elephant - Winston DePuh  
Jojo - Eric Chipper  
Gertrude McFuzz - Sara Hareling  
Mayzie LaBird - Lottie von Rivers

"Congrats! You got the part! Horton is, like, the top dog of the show!" Tyler was clearly excited about the results of the auditions. Winnie was, too, but he chose not to show it. He'd first noticed the list that morning, but Tyler had been at track practice. Winnie felt honored to have been chosen to play Horton. The first rehearsal would be in a week. Winnie couldn't wait.

* * *

"Okay, this is it, everyone! Break a leg!" called Mrs. Hedgeting. It was the big night. The theatre was packed, and the cast was twittering around backstage. Percy had signed on as a member of the stage crew at Winnie's suggestion, so the two were chatting before the curtain opened.

"I'm worried that I'll play the wrong song at the wrong time," confided Percy. "Or that I'll mess up the lights. Or -"

Winnie interrupted, "You won't. You're a smart kid; you can help make this play a success. I believe in you." The two shared a hug just before Mrs. Hedgeting called out, "Places!" Percy hurried to his booth, Winnie to the wings. The stage became dark, Eric stepped on, and the play began. "Now that is a very unusual hat..."

The show was a success. Winnie didn't miss a single cue or line, Sara played Gertrude so well that Winnie found it hard not to notice her, and Tyler stole the show as the Cat. Winnie felt that his memories of the fantastical show would remain with him for all time.


	5. The Winter Formal

_December_

It was all over the school - posters and conversations alike. The Winter Formal had been announced. This was the school's biggest event of the year. The administration would rent out the ballroom of the Galleon's Lap Clubhouse downtown for the night, the Social Committee would always provide the perfect music, just enough food, and all the rest. Winnie was looking forward to going with Tyler and Percy; all he wanted to do was have fun (and maybe have a couple honey cakes if they had them).

On this particular morning, Winnie was in the cafeteria cramming for a literature test later that day, when Lottie sidled up next to him. At first, he didn't notice her, being so engrossed in _Huckleberry Finn_. He'd just gotten to the part where the "duke and king" were putting on a con show, and considering a rhyme for "dirty rascals" (he was making up a rhyme to help him remember the chapter's events), when he heard Lottie's smooth, silky voice whispering, "Why, hello, Winston. Terribly sorry to have interrupted your reading."

"No, you're fine," Winnie replied, scooting down the seat. Lottie followed suit. She leaned in so close to him that Winnie thought he might topple over.

Lottie continued, "Your school's winter formal is coming up, if you haven't noticed..."

"And I have..."

"Well, I've been wondering if a handsome young man like you would agree to take me to the dance."

"Some of us have luck, some of us don't, there you go."

"That was a suggestion, not a random thought."

"Look, Lottie, I already _have_ plans for the Formal. I'm going with some friends. Some _male_ friends. Besides, I think Edgar's more your speed."

"Plans can change..."

"Look, Lottie, I gotta get to class!" With that, Winnie stood up and raced out of the cafeteria.

* * *

As it turned out, a monkey wrench was thrown into Winnie's Formal plans. Percy had managed to work up the courage to ask Kessie out to the dance, and Tyler had been asked to babysit for Mrs. Austers, an offer he couldn't refuse. Winnie had considered going on his own, but Lottie had continued to pester him about taking her. Finally, he had caved and purchased a ticket for her as well as himself.

After weeks of preparation and anxiety, the big night arrived. Winnie, taking advantage of his newly acquired driver's licence, slowly parked his father's car on the curb outside the von Rivers mansion. The mere size of the house was imposing enough, but the decor almost made it too much for Winnie's eyes. The boy inhaled and exhaled, patted down his neatly combed hair, adjusted his chartreuse necktie, and stepped up to the door. The elaborate golden knocker hung down at eye level. With some difficulty, Winnie lifted and released it. The door opened, revealing an immaculately tuxedoed butler, who said with a crisp British accent, "Welcome to Fortitude Hall. Your name and business?"

Winnie offered his hand for a shake. "I'm Winnie DePuh," he said, "and I'm here for Lottie. We're supposed to go to the Winter Formal together."

"Ah, yes, Miss Lottie is in the parlor waiting for you. Her parents are with her. Please follow me." The butler turned on his heal without shaking Winnie's hand and stepped into the corridor. With a small sigh, Winnie followed him. The main hallway of Fortitude Hall was brightly lit with candled chandeliers and plastered with portraits and tapestries. Winnie couldn't help gazing at the luxury around him as he walked behind the butler. Lottie's family really was rich!

Eventually, Winnie and the butler arrived at the parlor. Lottie was sitting on an embroidered armchair, wearing a silver lame dress with a fur necklet draped over her shoulders. Winnie hoped he looked just as presentable. On a nearby sofa sat two adults whom Winnie assumed were Lottie's mom and dad. Apparently, her hair and eyes had been inherited from her parents - both traits were present in both. Winnie felt sweaty all over, his heart beginning to pound. "Ah, hi... Mr. and Mrs. von Rivers... I'm Winnie..."

Apparently, Lottie's parents weren't very keen on conversation, making their meeting short (which, in Winnie's opinion, was a good thing). At quarter till eight, Winnie and Lottie got in the borrowed car and left for Galleon's Lap. Lottie spent most of the ride subtly badmouthing the car; Winnie tried to focus on the radio and the road. At last, the two arrived at the clubhouse.

"You have our tickets, I presume?" Lottie asked silkily.

Winnie nodded, fished them out of his pocket, and waved them. Lottie didn't respond verbally, instead tossing her hair and stepping towards the lighted clubhouse. With a sigh and a roll of the eyes, Winnie followed her.

The two entered the ballroom in the middle of a fast-paced song. Just like Winnie's memories of last year, the room was glorious. Bathed in thick, almost honey-like light, it seemed almost like a sunny summer day, except for the glittering decor strung everywhere. Already, the room was crowded with kids dancing, chatting and/or snacking, many of whom Winnie knew. It was almost something out of a dream. Lottie almost immediately ran off to chat with some friends, so Winnie was left on his own. He decided that he would spend some quality time at the food table.

Winnie was about to dive into a delicious-smelling honey cake when something in the far corner of his vision snagged his attention. Was that Tyler messing around with a kid nearby? Winnie stepped over to investigate, but before he could say hello to Tyler, he found himself on the floor.

"Glad you made it, buddy-boy!" exclaimed Tyler. "The night's still young, and the action's just begun!"

'What are you doing here, Tyler?" inquired Winnie. "It's nice to see you and all, but I thought you were supposed to be babysitting for Mrs. Austers. She's chaperoning!"

Tyler laughed. "Oh, I know that, Win. I told her that I really wanted to go to the dance, but sitting for Ryan here would get in the way, and she said I could take Ryan! How cool is that? Mrs. Austers is awesome!"

"If that's the case, then what are we waiting for?" asked Winnie with a chuckle.

Ryan piped up, "I know you! You gave our class stickers for the first race of the year."

"That's right." Winnie smiled at Ryan. "I thought you looked familiar that day. Your mom talks about you a lot, you know."

"Yeah, Mama's so nice," answered Ryan. "And Tyler is the best babysitter ever!"

"Aw, thanks, pal!" cried Tyler, starting to blush.

The tree continued to chat for a while before moving on to the dance floor. Tyler was rather energetic and wild, Ryan tried to copy Tyler, and Winnie wasn't bad at dancing either. They even ran into Percy and Kessie after a while. Winnie had never met Kessie before, and she seemed like a nice person. She was small, like Percy, dressed in blue. Winnie was surprised to learn that Mr. Bunton was her adoptive father. They all got along smoothly, and soon a new addition to their group had been made.

Eventually, a slow-dance song came up. The lights dimmed, and kids scrambled to find partners. Percy paired up with Kessie, of course, and Tyler with Ryan. Winnie was left on his own - until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Lottie's. He sighed, but turned around and took her hand, and the two swayed gently back and forth. Occasionally, Lottie leaned in with puckered lips, but Winnie quickly leaned away before a connection could be made.

At last, the slow dance was over, and the night was beginning to wind down. Winnie was starting to get sleepy, and wanted to head home. Fortunately, his date had the same opinion. They headed out to the parking lot and got right into the car.

"Not the best formal dance I've ever been to," declared Lottie as they drove away, "But not completely undesirable, either."

Winnie said nothing in response. He was too busy thinking about all the great memories that had been made tonight. One thing was certainly for sure - this had been one of the best nights of his life. Despite his overly conceited date, of course.


	6. The Bullies

_January_

_That cloud looks like a porcupine. I wonder, what rhymes with _porcupine_? _Such were the thoughts passing through Winnie's head on this particular morning, as he daydreamed out the bus window, Percy seated beside him. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, it was a lovely day. Unfortunately, this perfect day was about to be shattered.

The bus creaked to a halt for the - what was it, ninth? - time that day, letting the usual crowd on to find seats. Winnie watched this intently, as the scenery was getting boring. He was surprised, though, to see a pair of new kids walk down the hall with the ones he knew. A girl and a boy. The girl was large, but it seemed to be from equal parts muscle and fat. Her hair was curly and the color of rust. The boy, on the other hand, was skinny, with shifty eyes and a mop of dusty brown hair. Winnie couldn't quite place it, but something about these kids made him nervous.

The boy sidled up to Percy. "Hey kid, got any cash?" he whispered huskily.

"No," Percy whimpered. Winnie said nothing, but looked on, ready at any moment to defend his friend.

"Oh, that's too bad," replied the boy. "Ellie and I were really hoping you'd have some on you..."

"That's okay, I do!" interrupted Winnie. Grabbing his wallet from a backpack pocket, he reached inside and pulled out a dollar. "Will this be enough?" he inquired.

The girl looked Winnie directly in the eyes. "Don't think this nice routine will hold us off for long," she growled. "Because it won't. Mark my words, Blondie. You will pay with more than cash." With that, the two kids left for the back of the bus.

Percy looked at Winnie with apprehension. Winnie knew exactly what his pal was thinking - those kids could only mean one thing, and that was trouble.

* * *

"So, who are they?" Kessie inquired. She, along with Percy, Tyler, and Kessie, were sitting together at their usual spot to one side of the Ashdown High cafeteria. Their conversation had started out with more conventional topics - i.e. opinions about teachers, questions and comments about homework, and so on - but the interest quickly spread to the new kids.

"I dunno about that boy," Tyler answered through a mouthful of pepperoni pizza, "but the girl's in my P.E. class. Name's Ellie Heffers. Coach says she transferred from Cherna. She was tripping people left and right during the warm-up run. I managed to jump out of her way before she hit me."

Percy whimpered, "The b-b-boy's name is Wesley Wooze, and he's with Kessie and me during study hall. He kept g-g-glaring at me and the other kids, like he was going to do something awful to us."

"Come on, you guys," Winnie argued. "We can't judge these kids on their first day here. Maybe they can be nice; we just don't know it yet. Let's give them some time to adjust to Ashdown."

Tyler and Percy looked at Winnie dubiously. Winnie continued, "Look at you and Kessie, Percy. You two are great friends, and super smart. Would Tyler and I have known that if we'd completely ignored you on your first day here?"

Percy seemed very interested in his shoelaces. Tyler said, "Right as always, Winnie. We'll make e'm proud to be Tiggers!"

"That's Tigers," the rest of the group corrected Tyler.

* * *

Unfortunately, Winnie's hypothesis proved false. Ellie and Wesley proved to be nothing but bullies. No matter how Winnie and his friends attempted to show kindness, they received nothing for their efforts but harsh words and, on several occasions, blows. They wanted to try talking to the principal, but could never get a chance to see him. The teachers they spoke to about the issue seemed mostly oblivious to the bullying. Older students were either friendly with Ellie and Wesley, or too scared to fight back. School was starting to become a nightmare, and there was nothing Winnie's group could do about it.

"Okay, I admit, I was wrong," Winnie groaned as he held an ice pack to his bruised arm. "They're just mean-spirited."

Tyler clapped Winnie on the back and assured him, "You had the bestest intentions, Buddy Boy. This idea just wasn't your... what's the word?"

"Brightest," Percy sighed. "I don't know what we can do about Ellie and Wesley."

The kids sadly went off to their respective classrooms. Winnie was still trying to find a way to keep those bullies in check as he sat down in his chair in the history room. Mr. Robin was passing out last week's quizzes as the students continued to chat, and provided feedback on each, as usual. "Excellent as usual, Daniel. Nice job on the matching questions, Rachel. Mike, you could have done a better job, but there's always next week! You may want to work on your handwriting, Mary, I can't make heads or tails of these short answers. Ah, Winnie!"

Winnie looked up at his youngish history teacher. "I saw the little poems you wrote in the margins," Mr. Robin told his student. "They evidently improved your memory for these facts and figures. Do you mind if I share them with the class?"

"Not at all," Winnie sighed.

"Is something wrong, Winnie?" inquired Mr. Robin kindly.

Winnie looked his teacher in the eye and let all his worries about Ellie and Wesley spill out of his mouth. He'd been needing to get it off his chest, and felt he could really trust Mr. Robin. Winnie told all, from the moment he'd first bumped into the two on the bus until the present moment. At the end of Winnie's rant, Mr. Robin was silent for the moment. The student and the teacher looked at each other for a moment.

Mr. Robin placed a hand on Winnie's shoulder. "I can tell you're a little stressed about Ellie and Wesley. A lot of my students are. I'm just glad you trust me enough to talk to me about it."

Winnie nodded, and Mr. Robin continued, "You're one of the most creative kids here, Winnie. More than creative enough to solve this problem." At that moment, the bell rang. With a wink, Mr. Robin turned to the front of the class. "All right, take out your books, class. We're moving on to a new unit today!"

Winnie just barely paid attention to the lecture about the French Revolution. His mind was still on the bullies. Mr. Robin had pointed out his creativity as an outlet to a solution. How would creativity beat two kids who weren't afraid to resort to physical violence?

At that moment, the big idea came to Winnie.

* * *

Once classes ended for the day, Winnie gathered his friends and told them his plan. "I'll compose a song that targets Ellie and Wesley," he explained. "Once I do, we'll teach it to everyone who rides the bus with them. Then, next time they start picking on someone, everybody will start singing. With luck, it'll deter them from bullying any more!"

"But won't they get mad at us?" Percy stammered.

"Hopefully not," Winnie answered. "Think of it as aversion therapy."

"It's a crazy plan," said Kessie. "I like it."

* * *

About a week later, the plan was ready. Winnie and Percy sat next to each other, as usual, trying to pretend nothing odd was going on. Then, the bus came to a halt, and Ellie and Wesley sauntered on. Today, Ellie started by picking a kid up by his shirt collar. Winnie burst into song at the top of his lungs:

_They're black, they're brown, they're up, they're down!  
__They're in, they're out, they're all about!_

Ellie and Wesley stopped and stared at Winnie. Other kids started to chime in:

_They're far, they're near, they're gone, they're here!  
They're tricky and slicky and insincere!_

By this time, everyone except the bullies was singing along:

_Beware! Beware!  
__Beware, beware, beware!_

_The Heffalump and Woozle  
__Are very confusle  
__Why is it that they pick upon us all?_

"_All! All! All!_" chanted a few students in the back of the bus.

_Do they find greater power  
__In making us cower,  
__Or do they do it just to make us small?_

"_Small! Small! Small!_"

_It's extraordinary,  
__But we still bewary  
__Because they make things difficult at school!_

"_School! School! School!_"

_Whatever is their motive,  
__We all find this notive:  
__They're acting rather like a pair of FOOLS!_

_Beware, beware,  
Beware, beware,  
BEWARE!_

All eyes were on the bullies once the song was over. Ellie and Wesley looked at each other, then at Winnie. They then slunk, defeated, to the back of the bus. Percy beamed up at Winnie, and Winnie smiled back. That plan had gone better than he'd expected! Mr. Robin was right - his creativity was useful!


	7. Mickey's Party

**Yes, I know there's already been a November chapter, but this was the best place for this idea.**

_November_

"Mail's here!" Winnie called out to his parents. Hefting the slightly heavy bag (the mailbox had gone unchecked for a few days) onto the kitchen table, he began the task of sorting. The mail mostly consisted of advertisements, bills and political junk - his poetry magazine had yet to arrive this month. Then there was a single envelope hand-addressed to Winnie, apparently from Mickey. Winnie carefully opened it. It appeared to be some kind of invitation - a cream card with inky cursive letters:

_You are invited to Mitchell and Minerva Rodentin's sixteenth birthday party! November eighteenth. 1928 Clubhouse Drive. RSVP 555-6724._

There was writing on the back, too, in more colloquial script:

_Win, the party isn't as formal as this invitation makes it out to be. Don't think you have to wear a tux or anything - just what you normally wear in public. And bring your dancing shoes! Minnie and I can't wait to see you!_

_Mickey_

"Anything interesting?" inquired Winnie's dad as he picked up the pile of enveloped addressed to him.

"Not much," Winnie admitted. "I did get an invitation to Mickey and Minnie's birthday party."

"Sounds fun. When will it be?"

"The eighteenth. Looks like I'd better get working on a gift!"

* * *

Winnie waved goodbye to his father and pranced up the walkway to Mickey's front door, wrapped gifts in hand. He'd given Mickey a call as soon as he could, and his Toontown friend seemed eager to introduce him to his other friends. Percy, Tyler, and Kessie had been excited for Winnie as well, even going so far as to help him shop for gifts. Winnie sincerely hoped Mickey and Minnie would appreciate them.

Winnie could hear energetic dance music through the door as he knocked. The door opened to reveal a smiling Mickey. "Hey, Winnie!" Mickey greeted him with a warm handshake. "Come on in - you're right on time!"

"Happy birthday, Mickey," Winnie responded as he was led inside. "Your place looks great!" Colorful lights had been strung in every possible place, blinking festively. There was a small crowd dancing in the living room, to music playing from a stereo. The kitchen table had a variety of appetizers and other food, with gifts piled on one side. Winnie carefully placed the presents he'd brought on the top of the pile. As soon as this had happened, Mickey dragged him over to the makeshift dance floor. "I want to introduce you to my friends," he explained.

Near the middle of the room, a boy with bleached-blonde hair was yelling indiscernible language at a skinny, black-haired boy that Winnie recognized. Mickey interrupted the chatter with an introduction. "Don, Dexter, this is Winnie DePuh. He goes to Ashdown. We met at Dexter's first track meet. Win, these are Donald Foulbody and Dexter Goof, two of my closest friends."

Winnie grinned and extended a hand. "Nice to meet you both," he said. "Mickey's told me all about you two."

There was a pause as the kids took a look at each other. Donald had on a blue sailor-style jacket and matching hat - Winnie thought this was a good look for him. Dexter's clothing was a bit baggy, but Winnie didn't think oddly of it - Dexter was as thin as a rail. As soon as Winnie had processed this, Donald exploded, yelling words Winnie couldn't understand in Mickey's direction. From Mickey's reply - a defensive, "Geez, I can make friends around if I want to!" - he guessed that the words were probably insults to Ashdown and Winnie himself. Winnie chose to move on.

Before leaving the dance floor, Winnie bumped into a girl about his and Mickey's age, with honey-blonde hair and sad blue eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into you," he apologized.

"That's fine," replied the girl. "It happens. Oh, my name is Cynthia Ellen Perrault, but you can call me Cindy. I'm one of Minnie's friends."

Winnie took her outstretched hand and introduced himself. "I'm Winston DePuh, but please call me Winnie. Mickey invited me, but after meeting one of his other friends, I figured I wasn't very popular. Did I mention I go to Ashdown High?"

"I attend Palace Academy myself," Cindy revealed. "Mickey and Minnie have friends in every school in the district. They're very friendly."

"I noticed."

After talking with Cindy for a bit, Winnie moved on to the snack table. There, he ran into Simba King, another friend of Mickey's from Pride, and Jiminy Crickster, from Seventh Hill. Simba was tan and buff (he revealed that he played on Pride's football team), with reddish blonde hair. In contrast, Jiminy was slight and smaller, and wore glasses. Like Winnie, they had met Mickey at sporting events.

Suddenly, the party-goers fell dead silent as the door opened and an older kid stomped in. He was about twice as big as anyone there, and clearly unhappy to be there. Most of the people there seemed to recognize him, but Winnie didn't. Winnie managed to make it over to Mickey's side and inquire, "Who's he?"

"That's Pete," Mickey explained. "Toontown's biggest bully. Nobody likes him, and he reciprocates." Pete, for his part, glared at nearly everyone. Someone let out a shriek.

_He doesn't seem that bad_, Winnie thought. _I'll just go up and introduce myself. _As Winnie approached Pete, he could hear other kids whispering and see them staring at him like he was crazy. One comment he heard clearly was, "He's gonna get pounded! What is he thinking?!" Winnie ignored the comment and continued until he was right in front of Pete.

"Hi," Winnie said, extending a hand. "Nice to meet you. My name's Winnie."

"Whadar you up to?" snarled Pete, leaning in close to Winnie so that their noses were touching.

Winnie stammered, "I, uh, I just wanted to say hi?" The next thing Winnie knew, he was leaning against the wall with a sore stomach and throbbing head. He could hear Pete stomping away, but his vision was too fuzzy to see anything clearly.

"That was amazing!" Mickey raved. "I've never seen anyone stand up to Pete like that! You're a hero!"

Winnie smiled weakly. "Oh, it was nothing..."


	8. Peggy Arrives

_February_

It was a typical Monday morning in the DePuh household. Mrs. DePuh was making coffee, Mr. DePuh was on the phone while reading the newspaper, and Winnie was about to fall asleep in his bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios.

"Did you get enough sleep last night?" Mrs. DePuh inquired of her son.

Winnie shook his head. "I was up late last night doing math homework, and I still can't understand those logarithms. I'll have to ask Percy for help once I get to the bus stop."

"Or you could get some help from your cousin Winnipeg once she arrives," Mr. DePuh mused as he hung up and turned a page.

Winnie sat up straight when he heard those words. "Did you say Peggy's coming over?" he inquired excitedly.

"Your Uncle Harry is about to get started as a soldier," Mr. DePuh explained. "Stationed in England. He's Peggy's only legal guardian, and she can't go with him, so she'll be staying with us. You'll see her right when you get home from school today. She'll even be taking classes with you."

A smile lit up Winnie's face. Winnipeg was his favorite cousin. She was about his age, and they had known each other since their elementary school years. Winnie's uncle, his mother's brother, had adopted her as a baby after she lost her parents in a fire, so there was little family resemblance. However, the two cousins shared taste in many things, including a sweet tooth.

Winnie had a large grin plastered all over his face as he headed off for the bus stop. Percy, who was already there with his book, looked up at him. "Is there something I don't know about, Winnie?" Percy inquired.

"Oh, nothing," Winnie answered. "It's just that my favorite cousin is coming to stay with us! She'll even be going to Ashdown with us. You'll love her, Percy..."

* * *

_I can't wait to see Winnipeg tonight_, Winnie thought as he watched the clock. _Just half an hour left before lunch..._

"Mister DePuh!" barked Mr. Bunton.

Winnie say bolt upright. "Oh, uh, here!"

"Were you even paying attention to a word I was saying?!"

"No," Winnie said with a shrug, causing giggles from a few of his classmates.

"And why is that?" Mr. Bunton continued, crossing his arms.

Winnie quickly came up with an excuse. "See, I got this piece of fluff caught in my ear, and I couldn't hear your lecture, sir."

"Would you like me to repeat it, then?"

"That would be nice."

"From where would you like me to start?"

"From the moment the fluff got in my ear."

"When was that?"

"I don't know. I couldn't hear properly." The laughter around Winnie grew louder.

Mr. Bunton shook his head. "As I was saying when we were so rudely interrupted, the equation for changing the base of a logarithm is as follows..."

Winnie instantly found himself daydreaming again.

* * *

At long last, the bus pulled up at Winnie's stop. Winnie joined the crowd exiting the bus, waved goodbye to Percy, and joyfully walked home. The moment he opened the door, there stood the person he'd been looking forward to seeing all day. Long, licorice-black hair framing an olive-skinned face. Black jeans and an army jacket.

"Hey, cuz."

Peggy immediately embraced Winnie, and the gesture was gladly returned. "It's so awesome to see you again, Winston," she snickered. "Is it just me, or did you get taller over the summer?"

"I was just about to ask you the same question," Winnie said with a smile. "I've been looking forward to seeing you all day. So much so that I got in trouble in math class..."

"I'm not even going to ask," Peggy snickered. "So, rumor has it I'm going to school with you..."

* * *

Next day, Winnie and Peggy walked together to the bus stop. Percy, again, was already there, reading.

"Percy?" Winnie said to get his friend's attention.

Percy looked up, and his eyes widened. "Oh, y-y-you must be Winnie's cousin. Nice to meet you. I'm his friend Percy." The smaller student extended a hand to shake.

Peggy took and shook the outstretched hand. "So you're the famous Percy," she said. "Winnie's already told me so much about you. You can call me Peggy. Two Winnies are confusing."

"We learned that many family reunions ago..." Winnie added with a smile.

Percy nervously returned the grin. "Okay, P-p-p-peggy. I hope I'm not looking nervous..."

* * *

As the three walked into school, Winnie explained to his cousin, "First thing you'll need to do is visit Principal Milne's office. Down that hallway, first door on the - "

A flash of orange and black, a loud thump, and Peggy was on the ground, having been surprise-attacked by Tyler. "Hey there!" he said excitedly. "Aren't you Winnie's cousin? I'm Tyler - T I L Errr!"

Peggy smiled. "I guess I should start getting used to this?" Winnie couldn't help snickering.

* * *

The Valentine's Dance. Another Ashdown tradition, one that openly celebrated the friendships the student body formed. Romance wasn't encouraged, but accepted. The point was to go with a close friend.

Exactly why Winnie surprised Peggy with two tickets the Thursday before.

Needless to say, Peggy was speechless. "You value me this much?" she gasped.

Winnie explained with a soft smile, "You're like a sister to me, Peggy. It was the least I could do to show just how much I care."

The cousins engaged in a warm embrace.

Out of nowhere, a voice called loudly, "Now kiss!"

Winnie shouted back over Peggy's shoulder, "Tyler, please don't imply anything!"

* * *

The night of the dance arrived at last. Percy and Kessie had made plans to go as a couple, and Tyler was allowed to take Ryan. Winnie volunteered to take everyone there after hearing that Tyler had wrecked his own family's car. Since they all lived relatively close to each other, it was a simple task.

The last stop before the school was the Austers' house. Winnie pulled up on the curb, but Tyler opened the door and zoomed out before he'd even parked. With a couple of bounds, he was pounding on the door.

"Tyler!" Ryan squealed as he lept into the older kid's arms.

"Hiya, Ry-boy!" Tyler laughed. "You ready to go dancing?"

"I am!"

"Have him home by bedtime, Tyler dear," Mrs. Austers advised from the doorway.

Tyler saluted, cheeks turning red. "Don't you worry, Mrs. Austers, ma'am!" He took Ryan's hand, and they raced back to the car.

"Did you hear that?" Tyler whispered as he strapped himself in. "She called me dear!"

"Sounds like someone's got a crush..." Peggy told Kessie, who giggled in response.

* * *

A few hours later, the car was silent except for some sleepy breaths. Most of the passengers had fallen asleep upon buckling up - even Tyler. For now, the only ones awake were Winnie and Peggy.

"Did you have fun?" Winnie asked in a whisper.

Peggy whispered back, "Yeah, I did. Best dance I've ever been to."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I had fun, too."

Silence, as Winnie approached the neighborhood.

Peggy mentioned, "I think I'm going to enjoy Ashdown life."

"Oh, I don't think so," Winnie countered.

"Really?"

"Yes. I know you will."


	9. Just Another Ordinary Day

_March_

"Careful with those chemicals, Tyler," Winnie advised. The two were performing a lab in their science class, where they had been studying acids and bases. The experiment entailed working with hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide, so all students were required to wear rubber gloves, goggles, and lab aprons. Winnie had happily complied, but Tyler refused to don the gloves - he claimed they would "get in the way of my fancy fingerswork".

Tyler laughed as he poured the acid into their flask, "Careful is my middle name, Winnie boy!"

Winnie looked confused for a moment. "You told me last week your middle name was School Spirit. And the week before that it was Studying. And I've heard your mom call you Tyler Gregory…"

"Shut up and do the lab," Tyler interrupted hurriedly. Winnie nodded and turned the little knob on the buret until sodium hydroxide began to drip into the flask.

Tyler yawned, "Can't we do this any faster? I'm gonna fall asleep!"

"Mrs. Austers specifically said to go slowly at first. What's that liquid level?"

Tyler wasn't listening. At the mention of their science teacher, he had drifted into dreamworld.

Winnie waved a hand in front of Tyler's face. "Tyler? Are you listening to me?"

Tyler blinked and said, "Wait, what? Oh yeah, more liquid!" He turned the knob until the stuff was pouring out in a steady stream.

Winnie quickly fixed the buret once more. "Sometimes I don't know why I put up with you," he snickered.

"Are you two doing all right?" Mrs. Austers inquired as she came over to check on the pair.

"We're fine," Winnie replied as he sketched down some notes. "Thanks for checking up on us."

Mrs. Austers replied with a soft smile, "Of course, dears. I want all my students to do well. Keep up the good work." With that, she moved on to other table.

Tyler sighed as he watched her go. "She's pretty, ain't she?" He sighed wistfully.

"Yeah, and she's a Mrs.," Winnie reminded him. "Come on, let's keep going with this."

* * *

"... and thus concludes the meaning of the final chapter of _A Tale of Two Cities_. Any questions?" Winnie blinked and stared down at his blank notebook page. The moment Dr. Strigiform had started using five-syllable words, he had zoned out completely. It was like this every day, and Winnie had reason to suspect his classmates felt the same way as he did. Exactly the reason he raised his hand.

"Yes, Winston?"

"What does all that mean again?"

Most of the class laughed. From her seat a few rows down, Peggy rolled her eyes. Winnie simply gave a shrug in her direction.

* * *

"Tyler, please refrain from sitting that way in your chair, please," Mr. Bunton sighed. "I don't want to have to tell you again."

Tyler scoffed, "Come on, Long-Ears! How are we ever gonna learn this stuff if we can't relaxicate?" He leaned his chair back even further than it had originally been.

"That's Mr. Bunton to you, young man!" the teacher snapped. "Any more disrespect and you are going straight to the principal's office."

Winnie's hand shot up into the air. "Mr. Bunton, I'd advise that you leave Tyler alone. He didn't get a lot of sleep last night…"

Mr. Bunton glared at Winnie. "That is coming from someone who has failed to complete any homework this past week…"

"Really? Who?" Winnie caught Peggy's glare immediately after saying this, as the rest of the class laughed. The bell rang suddenly, saving Winnie and Tyler from further inquisition. As Winnie passed Mr. Bunton's table, he could hear him saying to himself, "Three months, two weeks and four days until summer vacation..."

"You're just looking for trouble, aren't you?" Peggy sighed as the threesome walked to their lockers.

Winnie promptly retorted, "I'm not looking for anything. I'm just trying to get through that class so I can eat lunch."

* * *

"Mm, thif phoney-glafed shickn ith great!" Winnie said through a full mouth of food.

Peggy clarified, "Are you saying the honey-glazed chicken is great?"

After swallowing, Winnie replied, "Of course I said that!"

"S-s-so anyway," Percy continued, "Kessie and I are having trouble with our English teacher. She's making the essays impossible to write!"

"It's true," Kessie chimed in. "She keeps changing the rules and guidelines, and docks lots of points for tiny errors."

"Why don't you ask your big brother or sister for help, Little Guy?" Tyler suggested. The group had often discussed family matters at lunch, so they were well aware that Percy had an older brother and sister, Tyler had a brother in college, and Winnie, Peggy, and Kessie were all only children.

Percy countered, "Ollie's n-n-never around. He has a new j-j-job. Same with Hen Wen."

"I have to ask," Winnie interrupted, "how come your parents gave you guys such long names? I mean, Percival, Oliver, and Henrietta Winifred? Really?"

Percy simply shrugged his shoulders.

* * *

"All right, class!" called Mrs. Hedgeting. "Take out your sketchbooks. I want you each to draw yourself and either your friends or your family, but different from how they look in reality. Give your drawings an imaginative spin. Ready? Go!"

Winnie tapped his pencil on his lip. Just how imaginative should he be? He knew that his drawings would have to look like the people they were based on. He supposed he'd start with himself and go from there.

"Think, think, think," Winnie whispered to himself as he thought, thought, thought. He remembered the teddy bear he'd carried around when he was little. His pet name from his parents, Winnie Bear. Inspiration suddenly came to Winnie - he could draw himself as a bear!

Winnie's pencil flew over the paper, producing a sketch of a short, pudgy bear, standing on two legs, with a gentle grin and a t-shirt similar to the one Winnie always wore. The boy used his colored pencils to make the bear version of himself a golden-yellow color, and the shirt red. Winnie also managed to add a honey pot to the picture, held in the bear's arms.

Winnie had decided to draw his friends, and was now ready to do Percy. Small... liked wearing pink... _I'll make him a piglet,_ Winnie decided. The resulting sketch was of a little pink piglet, shyly staring down at his own feet.

Tyler was next. Since he was on every sports team in school, the choice was obvious for Winnie. _He's a tiger... No, no. A Tigger! _Apparently, a Tigger had the same black stripes as a tiger, but had a springy tail which it used to bounce on, according to Winnie's imagination.

Once Winnie got started with the drawings, he could hardly stop. Edgar became a gloomy grey donkey with a droopy tail. Kessie was shown as a bluebird. Lottie's character was an otter. Peggy was a black bear. Mickey was a mouse. Winnie even decided to draw his teachers: Mrs. Austers as a kangaroo (with Ryan as her joey), Dr. Strigiform as an owl, Mr. Bunton as a rabbit, Mr. Small (Winnie's German teacher, so he was usually called Herr Klein) as a beetle, and Mrs. Hedgeting as a hedgehog. Winnie paused before moving on to Mr. Robin. What sort of animal would he be? Winnie's history teacher was younger than any of his other teachers, with a young-at-heart spirit that came through in every lecture. Eventually, the drawing that Winnie made was of a young boy.

The bell rang just as Winnie finished the coloring. Joining the single-file line of students, he dropped his sketchbook off at Mrs. Hedgeting's desk, gathered his things, and made for the door, smiling. Fine arts class was his favorite class, and with good reason!

* * *

"Who knows anything about Napoleon?" Mr. Robin asked of his sixth-period history class. This was usually how he started lectures, by asking his students what they knew about the topic. The name Napoleon sounded familiar to Winnie, so he raised his hand.

"Winnie?"

"Wasn't Napoleon the one who nearly took over Europe after the French Revolution?"

"Yes, exactly! Good on you. Now, Napoleon is kind of a controversial figure. Who else knows who Napoleon is?" About half the class raised their hands. Edgar kept his hands - and his head, for that matter - firmly on his desk. "And who thinks Napoleon was a good guy?" Half the hands stayed raised, including Winnie's. "Okay, looks like it's time for a debate!" Mr. Robin announced. The students stood up and began to rearrange their desks in a circle. This was another common event in the class. Mr. Robin highly preferred letting his students figure things out for himself, and letting them debate was one of many ways he did it. The ensuing debate was active and fun, and the kids learned some interesting factoids about Napoleon that they might not have otherwise.

As the bell rang and most of the students exited the room (Edgar was, surprisingly, out the door first), Winnie approached Mr. Robin and asked, "Have I ever told you that history is my favorite class?"

Mr. Robin smiled. "I think you have," he replied, "but I appreciate the compliment. Have a great afternoon, Winnie!"

"See you tomorrow," Winnie called over his shoulder as he left the classroom.

**Bonus points and a shoutout to whoever can guess where I got the names of Percy's siblings from. Your hint: both names come from Disney animated films.**


	10. The Huge Prank

**Congratulations to roxygoth for guessing the sources of Percy's siblings' names! I'm not revealing them here, so as to keep the mystery up.**

_April_

Mr. DePuh hung up the phone and turned to his son and niece. "Looks like school's out for the day for you two," he reported. "Someone was messing with the electrics, and they can't figure out how to get the power back on. And they found graffiti glorifying Toontown School near that room, so one more problem to deal with."

A sleepy Peggy yawned, nodded, and stood up, mumbling, "I'm going back to bed." Winnie, on the other hand, was curious. Graffiti about Toontown? Maybe he could figure out who had performed the mean-spirited prank, since he had a friend at Toontown.

"Do you mind if I get on the computer?" Winnie asked his dad. "I'd like to contact some friends."

Mr. DePuh nodded as he picked up his newspaper. Winnie wiped the honey from his mouth onto his arm and stood up. Soon he was logged on to the computer that was shared by the family. Technology was pretty confusing to Winnie, but recently Percy had taught him how to IM. This was how he was going to contact Mickey.

**hunnylover24**: _Mickey? Did you hear about what happened at Ashdown?_

Winnie only had to wait a minute or so before a message from Mickey popped up.

**SteamboatW**: _No, what happened?_

**hunnylover24**: _Someone was messing with the electric stuff over there. Apparently they found graffiti nearby about Toontown. School got canceled :)_

**SteamboatW**: _Wtf?! Literally the same thing happened at Toontown, except the graffiti was for Ashdown!_

**hunnylover24**: _You gotta be kidding!_

**SteamboatW**: _Saw it myself. "Tigrs Rool" and that kind of thing._

**hunnylover24**: _so... Beavers couldn't have pulled the trick at Ashdown...?_

**SteamboatW**: _And I guess the Tigers didn't do that to our school. I'll pull in some of the kids from other schools._

Another couple of minutes passed. Winnie found himself absentmindedly drumming his fingers on the keyboard and humming a random tune when unfamiliar usernames appeared on his screen.

**Lionroar93**: _Got your invite, what's the issue?_

**littlevoice**: _I already heard the news, so sorry._

**Star2Rite**: _Mickey, my man!_

**hunnylover24**: _Sorry, who are these? I only have Mickey on my contacts._

**SteamboatW**: _Oh, sorry. This is for all: hunnylover is Winnie DePuh (Ashdown), Lionroar is Simba King (Pride), littlevoice is Jiminy Crickster (7th Hill), and Star2Rite is Peter Pan (Hero Valley Academy)._

**littlevoice**: _That makes only four of the six DUSD schools, what about Palace and Cherna?_

**SteamboatW**: _Minnie's on the phone with Cindy Perrault, from Palace. I think she's calling a pal from Cherna next._

**Lionroar93**: _WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON?!_

**Star2Rite**: _Yeesh, Simba, take a chill pill!_

**hunnylover24**: _Someone pulled a nasty prank on both Ashdown and Toontown. Something about the electrical stuff and graffiti._

**littlevoice**:_ Yep, happened at 7th Hill, too. My freind Tink said she saw Pete do it._

**Star2Rite**: _I am gonna KILL her! I was nowhere near your school!_

**hunnylover24**: _Little harsh?_

**Star2Rite**: _Jk__, I just won't talk to her for a week ;) No news about that at my school._

**Lionroar93**: _Wait, if your school didn't get sabotaged, how are you IMing?_

**littlevoice**: _Peter, you didn't play hooky again, did you?_

**Star2Rite**: _I'm at computer class! Duh ;P_

**hunnylover24**: _You guys have computer class? Lucky!_

**SteamboatW**: _Sorry I disappeared, Pluto wouldn't stop barking. Woah, 3 out of 6 DU schools pranked?_

**Lionroar93**: _Make that 4, one wall of Pride is now covered with 7th Hill hoopla. The one next to a sabotaged electrics room..._

**littlevoice**: _Now that is a little unnerving._

**SteamboatW**: _This just in: Palace got it too!_

**Star2Rite**: _Sounds like something's going on..._

**hunnylover24**: _Cherna. It had to be Cherna._

**Lionroar93**: _You sure?_

**hunnylover24**: _Think about it: there are six schools in the district. Only district schools got pranked today, if we go on Peter's word. And none of our schools were the instigators. Plus this sounds like just the kind of thing Demons would do._

**littlevoice**: _*facepalms* Why didn't I think of that?!_

**Star2Rite**: _SO OBVIOUS once you put it like that!_

**SteamboatW**: _Yep, Cherna was not pranked! I'll have my dad give the superintendent a call. Thanks, Win!_

**hunnylover24**: _Glad I could help. ;) See you round!_

***hunnylover24 has left the conversation***

* * *

"I wouldn't be surprised if every one of those kids is expelled," Peggy told Winnie over lunch.

Winnie shook his head. "I didn't want them expelled, I just wanted to help."

Peggy replied, "Well, you sure did it. You can be pretty smart when you want to be, Win."

"Have you seen my grades lately, Peggy?"

"I said when you want to be, fluffhead," Peggy snickered.

"Oh, stop..." Winnie couldn't help laughing himself, though.


	11. The Talent Show

_May_

"A talent show?" Winnie said in complete surprise. "Between all the schools?"

"Yeperoodles!" Tyler shoved the poster into Winnie's face again. "They're looking for all kinds of talent to fill up the program. Everyone from the DUSD goes to Fantasia Center for the Arts to watch it next Friday!"

"That sounds complex," Winnie mentioned. "It does sound like a lot of fun, though. You think my poetry would count as talent?"

Percy shyly nodded, but Tyler exclaimed, "If your poetry doesn't count as talent, I don't know what does! You should totally sign up!"

"I know just the poem," Winnie replied with a gleam in his eye.

* * *

For what seemed like the millionth time, Winnie reread the words he'd printed out that morning. The talent show organizers had wanted his poem to be memorized, but he was having trouble getting the words exactly right. This particular poem was one he'd started years ago, but abandoned due to a lack of an appropriate end to the fifth verse. Even now, he kept getting the individual pieces of the verses he had previously completed mixed up. Winnie felt lucky that they were allowing him to take the paper onstage.

Tyler tapped Winnie on the shoulder, jolting him away from his worries. "Would you look at those lovely ladies?" He was pointing at a small group of chatting girls. Winnie recognized Cindy, so he assumed that those were her friends from school.

Tyler continued, "I think I'd better give them a big ol' how-ya-doin'. Be my wingman?"

"Well, I don't see why not." Winnie followed Tyler to the girls.

First, Tyler approached a girl with fiery red hair. It literally looked like a bonfire was burning atop her head. Tyler tapped her on the shoulder and said with his ladykiller voice, "Hey babe, whatcha talkin' about?"

The girl's first response was a punch to Tyler's face. "I think she likes you," Winnie commented before having to duck to avoid getting punched himself.

The girl started yelling something in a thick Scottish accent that Winnie had trouble understanding. He was about to duck and cover again when an intercom announcement rang out through the auditorium: "All performers please report backstage!"

"Sorry, Ty," Winnie called over his shoulder as he raced away.

* * *

"Thanks, Cruella, for that... ah... entertaining magic act," Mickey announced. His talent show audition had impressed the judges so much, they had asked him to MC the entire show. He'd been doing a good job at it so far, Winnie thought. "And now for something for you word lovers out there - poetry recited by Winnie DePuh of Ashdown High!"

Winnie nearly fell out of his chair with surprise, but stood up and briskly took the podium. The audience's applause released a few of the butterflies in his stomach. He cleared his throat, then announced, "Today I will be reciting my own composition: "Weekday Wonderings"." He had originally called it "Lines by a Boy of Very Little Brain", but (according to his friends) this was much catchier. He cleared his throat again and began:

"On Monday, when the sun is hot  
I wonder to myself a lot:  
"Now is it true, or is it not,  
"That what is which and which is what?"

On Tuesday, when it hails and snows,  
That feeling on me grows and grows  
That hardly anybody knows  
If those are these or these are those.

On Wednesday, when the sky is blue,  
And I have nothing else to do,  
I sometimes wonder if it's true  
That who is what and what is who.

On Thursday, when it starts to freeze  
And hoar-frost twinkles on the trees,  
How very readily one sees  
That these are whose - but whose are these?

On Friday - "

Winnie paused. This was the verse he'd had trouble with. He had completely blanked when reciting it to Mrs. Austers and Ryan. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he managed to finish:

"On Friday, when the hail takes aim  
And freezes sidewalks all the same,  
It's only then that I can claim  
I have no wonderings to my name.

Thank you." Winnie gave a little bow as the entire auditorium burst into applause. He'd done it! He'd recited the poem completely! He was beaming as he exited the stage.

"Wow, Winnie, that was great!" Mickey raved. "Now I'm wondering if our next performer can top that. Please welcome Robin Fox of Pride High with a demonstration of archery!"


	12. Last Day Of School

_June_

"I can hardly believe tomorrow is the last day of school," Winnie sighed. "The first day seemed like only yesterday!"

"Really? I've been waiting for this day since September," Tyler responded. "But all those tests are taking forever to do! Can you believe Mr. Bunton's?!"

"Ten pages of questions was overdoing it," Winnie recalled, "even for him. At least Mrs. Austers is having us do a presentation instead."

"Mrs. Austers..." Tyler sighed. "Y'know, I'm really gonna miss her and Ryan this summer."

'You'll see her next year," Winnie comforted his freind when the five-minute bell rang. "We'd better get to class," he added.

Tyler was already halfway down the hall. Winnie shook his head and chuckled.

* * *

"The recipient of this year's Teacher of the Year award is a kind, gentle soul, always ready to lend a helping hand when students need it," Principal Milne read from his papers. "He never turns down an opportunity to reassure his pupils, who can all agree that his sense of wonder and enthusiasm for learning is infectious."

Winnie smiled discreetly. He knew exactly who this award was going to, and applauded vigorously when the principal continued, "It is my great honor to present this award to Christopher Robin!"

Mr. Robin stepped up to the podium and shook hands with Principal Milne. He then took the principal's place at the podium and pushed down some papers he'd gathered. "Thank you, Alan. Well, what can I say that hasn't already been said to every one of you throughout the course of this year? Nothing. All of you sitting in this gymnasium today have every skill, talent, and tool it takes to succeed greatly in this world. Some of you just don't know it yet. Some of you may doubt your potentials.

Always remember this: you're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. Thank you."

A moment of silence filled the auditorium. Then the student body began to clap vigorously. Winnie leapt to his feet, and others soon followed. The noise was made almost deafening when the bell rang immediately afterwards, signaling the official end of the school year. Winnie could see Tyler bounding out the door and longed to follow him, but there was something he wanted to do first.

Carefully, Winnie made his way through the crowd of students until he noticed Mr. Robin. He'd already gotten a yearbook signature from his history teacher, but felt he needed to say goodbye proper before leaving for the summer.

"Mr. Robin?" he asked shyly.

The teacher turned around. "Oh, hi, Winnie!"

"I just wanted to say thank you for everything you've done this year," Winnie said. "You deserve that award you got."

Mr. Robin looked like he had tears in his eyes. "Oh, Winnie..." he said. "Y'know, I'm gonna miss you."

"Same here," Winnie assured him. "Have a great summer!"

"You too, Winnie. You too."

Winnie smiled as he exited the gym, trotted down the hall, and opened the front door. The sunshine hit his face like a bear hug.

Summer was officially before him.

* * *

**Now, I know what you're thinking. "What?! This can't be the end! I wanna see more!" Well, my readers, you are in luck. I don't intend to stop here, oh no sirree bob. I'm gonna revisit the school year, dip down here and there and see what I come up with. I may even detail the vacations of Winnie and pals. It all depends on you guys. Put what you wanna see in your reviews! I have a couple ideas already, put I aim to please. Go right ahead!**


	13. The Parent-Teacher Conference

_December_

"Is there anything you want me to ask about tonight?" Mrs. DePuh asked her son as she put on the brakes at a red light.

"Not really," Winnie answered. "Just don't embarrass me. Please."

"You're hard to embarrass," Mrs. DePuh replied. "Anything about your classes?"

"You could tell Mr. Bunton that I don't mean my poor performance..."

"I know you don't, Honey Bun. It's gonna be hard not talking during this, isn't it?"

"Not really. I can just pretend I'm taking notes in class."

Admittedly, Winnie was a bit nervous about the upcoming parent-teacher conferences. At Ashdown, sophomores had to sit in on their own conferences. At least, Winnie kept telling himself, it wasn't like the situation with the juniors and seniors, where they actively participated. He could just pretend he wasn't there. Which, knowing some of his teachers, he might want to do.

The school looked different as Winnie and his mother arrived. A little more empty than normal. Winnie was positive that, if he said something in the front lobby, it would echo. He was almost tempted to try, but got distracted when he noticed some of Percy's friends waiting at a table.

James and Charlie were seemed nice enough, so Winnie struck up a conversation with them. They were identical twins, but people told them apart thanks to their behavior.

"Basically I'm the evil twin, the rebel," Charlie explained. "James is usually in his seat two minutes before the bell rings, and I saunter in the split second after."

James added, "That's why people sometimes call us Early and Late."

Winnie was about to respond when Mrs. Austers approached his mother. "Alexandra DePuh? I'm Katherine Austers. I teach Winnie's chemistry class."

_I didn't know her first name was Katherine,_ Winnie thought. _L__earn something new every day, indeed._

Once they entered the lit classroom, Winnie learned the full names of his other teachers as well as they introduced themselves to his mother: Oliver Strigiform, Richard Bunton, Teresa Hedgeting, Alexander Small, and Christopher Robin. They all sat down at some desks pushed into a circle. Winnie found a place at a table on the far side of the room, and the conference began.

"Winnie's a great student," Mr. Robin began. "I find his sense of wonder much more developed than most of my other students."

"I beg to differ," Mr. Bunton countered. "I rarely find Mr. DePuh participating in my class at all."

Winnie's mom explained, "Winnie's told me he doesn't really see the real-life application in any of the lessons you teach. Do you have any advice for how this could be fixed?"

"Perhaps if he asked questions during class," Mr. Bunton answered. Winnie scribbled down on his notebook paper, _Note to self: ask ?s in math class_.

"I agree with you there," Mrs. Austers concurred. "Winnie does like to help his fellow classmates, even when he himself doesn't understand the material."

"He has a remarkable habit of using meter and rhyme to commit his lessons to memory, however," Dr. Strigiform added.

Mr. Robin nodded. "He uses it for my class, too. I'd encourage him to keep that one up."

_More hums for lessons et. al., _wrote Winnie.

The conversation continued. Overall, Winnie's teachers seemed to want him to keep up his good work, but put a smidgen more effort into his classwork.

Winnie was pretty confident he could handle that.

_I think I may even get all A's this next quarter,_ he thought to himself with a grin.


	14. Poetry Club

_April_

Winnie shrugged off his backpack and sat down at his accustomed seat. The bell had already rung, but it was Thursday: the day of Poetry Club's weekly meetings. Winnie loved being a member of this club, where students got together once a week to discuss favorite poems and even write their own. An informal setting, but Winnie always enjoyed it.

Jack, the unofficial president of the club, sat down next to Winnie. Jack was a junior, and he and Winnie knew each other relatively well. "Hey," Jack quipped. "How was school today?"

"Fine," Winnie replied. "Mr. Bunton is really loading us down with work. He gave us a lecture about how 'insensible' we are."

"Ah, don't worry about it," Jack assured Winnie. "I had him last year. He is abusive and manipulative. Don't let him get to you."

"I never do."

"Good. So, is everyone here?"

Lucy, a freshman girl, announced, "Chester would have come, but he's sick today. I think Milo had tutoring."

"Alex had to go home right after school," added Lisa, a fellow sophomore from Winnie's fine arts class. "I think he's grounded."

"Sounds good. Er, bad. Anyone else out?"

"No, I think we're all here," reported Griffin, a senior.

At that moment, the door creaked open and in walked Edgar. "The meeting's started already, hasn't it?" he asked gloomily.

Winnie shook his head. "No, we were just about to begin. Here, you can sit by me." Jack gave Winnie a confused look, but Winnie simply shrugged. Edgar wasn't nice to him all the time, but that didn't mean he had to reciprocate.

Edgar slumped into the seat on Winnie's right, and Jack announced, "Okay, I guess we can begin. Would anyone like to begin today?"

Lucy's hand shot up like a rocket.

"Lucy?"

The girl stood and explained, "I had to write a Shakespearean sonnet for drama class, and I want to see what you guys think of what I have so far."

Winnie urged, "Let's hear it!"

Lucy stood and read her sonnet straight from the paper. She used a lot of similes, sticking strictly to the structure, and had written about anger and how strong relationships could help through it. Once she was done, the other kids in the room all clapped politely. Except Edgar, who groaned, "I can't understand a word she's saying."

Winnie ignored his downer companion and told Lucy, "You state your point really well, I like that."

"Yeah, nice jobs with those rhymes, Lu," Jack added.

Lucy shyly curtsied and blushed before returning to her seat. "Who's up next?" Jack called.

To Winnie's surprise, Edgar stood up. "I wrote what I think is a poem," he announced.

"Let's hear it," Winnie urged. Edgar rolled his eyes, cleared his throat, and read off his paper in a monotone voice. Winnie winced a little once he heard the first half-rhyme. Edgar continued to rhyme words with themselves and worse.

Once Edgar was finally done, Winnie clapped politely. "Pretty good," he shrugged.

Edgar muttered something inaudible and left the room. The entire membership of the Poetry Club breathed a unison sigh of relief.


End file.
